Ike Guide

Midori · **Ike Guide -** 07-20-08

Ike Guide

I saw that you didn't have an Ike guide on this site (not sure if you have but didn't find anyone, and an extra one is good anyways right? =) , so I decided to make one^^.
This guide that I'm posting now is far from complete, actually writing on the following parts right now.
And PLEASE if you find something that you think is missing in this guide write it, and i will put it in if it's something useful. Even something that I spelled wrong is good to point out. And I do not in anyway say that this is the best way to play with Ike, just my personal opinion. Oh and I will use the name Ragnell alot, which is the name of Ike's sword.

Pros and Cons:

Pros: He has some insane knockback attacks and really good aerials. He can also use the Quick Draw move to pull of really good combos.

Cons: Really slow, both in the attack speed and running speed. Have no move to recover diagonally.

Attacks

(I made up names for the moves I didn’t know the name of, so expect some really lame names)

Normal Attacks

Dash A: Cleave (7% if you are to close to your opponent when hit, 8% if hit normally)
Ike pulls his sword backwards then steps forward and unleash some sort of cleave attack.

A very good move to use when your opponent runs away from you, or are trying to get up from the ground (before the invincible frames). But don’t overuse it, and try to use it after running a short distance (the longer you run against them, the easier it is for your opponent to see what you are going to do). The attack has a pretty long lag time, which puts you in a bad situation if you miss with the attack or your opponent guard/dodge. And if you hit your opponent to close to your handle they will fly backwards instead or forward.

Neutral A: Triple-A Combo (4% 5% 7%, 16% total)
This attack consist of Ike punching then moving a little forward then executing a kick, and finishes it of with a sword slash.

This move is one of the most useful to use, if you want to rack up damage in a steady way.
You will use this move a lot, mostly for damage but also for launching away your opponent.
It doesn’t have such a long knockback, but you will find it useful if you want to get your opponent in the air so you can finish him of with Ike’s aerials. You can actually get more then two hits, if you duck after the kick, and start from the beginning with the punch (the duck will interrupt the use of the slash attack in the combo, but don't overuse this). And whatever you do don’t hold down A when there is no opponent in range, (unless you want to use it to nullify different projectiles) so you will punch over an over, because it will leave you wide open. And "no one" is stupid enough to run right into it.

Forward Tilt A: Ragnell Slash (14% if you are you close, 15% normally)
Ike makes a pretty quick (for being Ike) slash horizontally (you can tilt so you slash a little more up or down)

This move can either be very good or pretty useless, depending on your opponent’s play style.
Because it is pretty fast for the amount of knockback it has, but will leave you pretty open if you miss. I personally use this move a lot when my opponent runs towards me (if his dash A has a pretty short range), I use it by making a quick back dodge (guard and “back” on the control stick) and then using it to catch the opponent while they are executing their running a at the place I stood before the dodge. And what I said before “depending on your opponent’s play style”, I mean that this attack isn’t that good if the opponent dodges a lot, due to the long lag.

Down Tilt A: Feet Chopper (14%)
Ike ducks down and makes a slash at ground level.

This move isn’t really that useful, due to its slow speed and long lag. Some people use it a lot, but I rarely use it. But you can actually use this as a spike attack which I will describe later.

Up Tilt A: Rising Blade (9% if the handle hits, 12% if the blade hits)
Ike makes a short jump while holding Ragnell horizontally over his head.

This attack is actually very useful, pretty good speed and knockback. And can be used after a Down or Up Throw (at low %) to finish the combo with an Up B.

Midori · **Re: Ike Guide -** 07-20-08

Smash Attacks

Forward Smash A: Half Minute Smash (17-22%, 17% if the top of the sword hits) (23-30% fully uploaded, 23% if the top of the sword hits)
Ike brings the sword over his head, to smash it down with divine strength.

This is the attack that makes most new players say that Ike is overpowered. It is one of the attacks with best knockback in the game, if not the best of all smash attacks. It will KO most of your opponents when they are at 40% (which is the point were you probably should consider using it). This attack is really useful but DON’T overuse it, if you use it at the wrong times against good players, you will regret it deeply. Due to the slow speed and lag, you should mostly use this to hit an enemy that just side stepped or countered as well as someone that is trying to get back to the ledge. Don’t bother loading this smash; it is strong enough as it is. But there are exceptions, mostly someone that is coming from the air because they will most likely counter or air dodge, and after they done that you just let go of that A button and see your enemy fly to the promised land. And don’t use it on someone under 40% (most of the times of course) and try to save it while facing someone with counter…if they succeed with countering it, it hurts big time.

Up Smash A: 300 Degrees Slash (17% neutral, 23% fully loaded)
As the name poorly presents, Ike slashes his sword around him from his left foot to the right.

This is an attack that some use and some don’t, so shall you use it? Well I don’t use this move much at all, but it can be very useful at times, due to the fact that the attack hits both your front and back. It can be used when someone comes from the air, but I mostly use Up Tilt A and some other Arial attacks I will soon present.

Down Smash A: Ground Striker (8-13% neutral front, 18% fully uploaded front, 8-16% neutral back, 22% fully uploaded back)
Ike delivers one slash on ground level in front of him, then another one at his back.

I hardly use this attack; it’s to slow and to hard to hit with to be a good KO ability.
But I actually use this move if my enemy sidesteps and rolls a lot, because of the attack hitting both front and back, the enemy will either get hit or roll another time to avoid the second blow, which will make me plenty of time to finish the attack and avoid getting hit even though I missed.

Midori · **Re: Ike Guide -** 07-20-08

Special Attacks

B Neutral: Eruption (10% neutral, 37% fully uploaded and 10% on you)
Ike stabs his sword into the ground and a giant pillar of flame rise up from it.

This is an attack that is mostly used against enemies coming from the air and for edgeguarding, and is pretty useless to use against grounded ones. One thing that most people don’t know about this attack is that it can kill most characters on 10%! Even lower sometimes (mostly tried on Final destination). The thing you do is release the attack just before you starting to get red (fully uploaded) and your enemies will rocket through the air straight up, and you won’t lose any % at all. But this using this 10% kill is still pretty useless, unless your enemies’ runs straight into you while you doing this. And this attack can also Spike, and has Super Armor (coming more about this later).

Down B: (Ike’s) Counter (The attack from the enemy x1.2)
Ike will hold his sword diagonally and counter anyone that hits him during the actual counter time.

Nearly everybody say that this move is one of Ike’s worst, and I have to agree (to a certain degree). BUT it’s still not bad at all. Some people even say that this is one of the best. Even thought it is a lot worse than Marth’s counter (even though it damages more) it is still pretty useful in some situations. As most Ike players know the counter effect only activates about 0.20-0.50 seconds after you use it, so you can’t really use it against any quick attacks, or really quick characters at all like Metaknight. Many will probably say that they can succeed in using it most of the time and the fact that this attack only is pretty good is BS. Well...if you would check the situation were you used the counter, you will probably see (most of the times) that under the time that you opponent made his attack. You could have made another attack that would have made more damage then counter.
I myself only use this attack maybe 3 times in 5 matches (with 3 stocks each). Because even if the attack is good, it’s doesn’t have to be the best to use.

Up B: Aether (2-23%)
Ike throws Ragnell up into the air and jumps after it, when he catches it he spins around two times in the air, and finishes it by pummeling with the sword into the ground (or endless pit).

Aether is not only a good recovery move but also a good damage racking move.
The best way to damage with it is to use you down/up throw (I mostly use my down one) then Up Tilt A and lastly Aether, but if the opponent has to much % just use Aether directly because they will fly to far away for Rising Blade to hit. If possible try to use another Aether after the first one, most opponents will be very surprised when you do this, but stick to using it max two times per match or else it will be easy for your enemy to read you. And for recovery wise, most people (I’ve seen) often make a huge mistake. Which is that they underestimate how long distance you can grab after it, and also how much you move forward. And in other words, under shoot the platform (Ike can’t grab the ledge far if it’s over your head), so if you often die from undershooting the ledge, try using Aether a little bit earlier. Aether has also both Super Armor and the ability to Spike.

Side B: Quick Draw 8-9% neutral, 16-17% fully uploaded
Ike squats down a little while loading his sword, and then glides forward with a tremendous speed cutting that who dares to stand in his path.

Hands down my favorite move that Ike has to offer. Quick Draw can be used both as a recovery and offensive move; it can start of great combos and is overall an amazing move.
The thing I use it for the most is to calculate so I stop right before my enemy and pull of Triple A Combo or Rising Blade, because it has nearly no lag if it doesn’t hit you opponent. You can also use this to travel fast on the map, or evade an attack in the air.
But if you use it at the wrong moment, it can leave you wide open. And the reason I don’t use the hit from the Quick Draw itself when I’m attacking with it is because if your enemy blocks, it will leave you wide open for many nasty attacks. When you mastered this attack you will see that your matches have improved tremendously, after you learn the basics of Ike I recommend you to train up your skill with this move.

Midori · **Re: Ike Guide -** 07-20-08

Grabs (Will only put in the % from the throw itself and not the damage you get if you press for an attack while holding, which is 3% per punch)

Forward Grab: Quick Kick (6%)
Ike makes a quick kick and launches the opponent a short distance.

This attack is actually pretty good to use if you want to catch your opponent off guard, and use that advantage to pull of some combos.

Backwards Grab: Turn Kick (6%)
Ike turns around with his opponent and delivers a weak kick.

I only use this attack to get people of edges, not really useful to anything else (hard to use for starting a combo).

Up Grab: Chin Breaker (6%)
Ike puts his sword into the ground and launching the enemy into the air with a punch to the chin (mostly to the chin I think).

Chin Breaker is pretty good if you want your opponent into the air to start air combos. And this grab launches the opponent the highest of Ike’s grabs (but only on low %).

Down Grab: Food Retriever (6%) (Doesn’t give you any food, just a really bad joke)
Most people say that Ike throws the enemy down on the ground and jumps on them with his knees, but he actually jumps on them with his feet right on the stomach.

Probably the most useful grab for pulling off air combos. Even though Ike’s Up Grab send them the highest on low %, this one sends them the highest on about +35%.

Aerials

A Neutral (Air): Ragnell Arc (9%)
Ike swings his sword in an arc around him.

This move isn’t really that useful, even though it can be used for pretty good edge guarding, and a technique I will describe later.

A Up (Air): Kakeru Helicopter (14%)
Ike spins his sword around his head in a helicopter motion.

This move may seem useless at first, due to its “short” range. But if you use if from either the right side of your opponent or the left side, the range is huge. Well what I’m meaning is that you shouldn’t use this attack to hit your opponent from below, but instead use if on the lower right or left side of your opponent. And you will see that it had really good knockback and is easy to pull of, without putting yourself in danger.

A Down (Air): Ragnell Spike (12% if you hit after you stabbed with the sword, 16% if it’s a direct hit)
Ike stabs the sword downwards from the air.

This attack isn’t really that good for KO'ing (can still be used for it on higher % though), but it is still pretty good for racking up damage quickly. It can be hard to hit with (without your opponent striking back), so try using fastfall and then strike them unexpectedly. And you can actually use this attack to spike for a one hit kill.

A Back (Air): Turning Slash (14%)
Ike turns around in the air, delivering a quick slash.

I love this attack, even thought it can be hard to hit with at first. The damage and KO it gives with that speed is simple incredible. This is probably the attack I use most for edgeguarding against short ranged enemies.

A Forward (Air): Ragnell Cut (13%)
Ike uses both hands to make a big cut in front of him.

This is one of the attacks that I rarely used before, but since I got better on using this with fast fall, it’s now one of the attacks I use the most. This move is really good for edge guarding against enemies that has long range aerial attacks; because of its own range it can outclass the most. And the fast fall I was talking about is: That you do a short jump (or long in some cases) then use A Forward (just before you are at the max height of the jump) and then press down at the exact time you start falling. This will result in you racketing towards your enemy with the attack so it finishes about 2/3 of its animation (the sword will be horizontal with the ground when you land) and this will surely surprise the enemy when you hit them so fast.
Because they were probably preparing to use their Up A Tilt, or Up Smash.

Final Smash

Final Smash: Great Aether (around 65%)
Ike launches the opponent into the air (to a predetermined point) and starts to unleash a whole lot of kicks and slashes, to end it of with slamming them into the ground.

I don’t usually play with Smash balls. So I don’t know any fancy tricks with them. It has pretty good range but still melee, and will take all the players that are in range when used. And this move will kill most players around 30% (depending on weight and stage), so don’t just spam away the smash ball (if you are afraid to lose it), try to get your enemy to around 35-40% first.
The range of it is about 2x the range of you forward smash.

Midori · **Re: Ike Guide -** 07-20-08

Tips and tricks

Spikes (Should actually be Meteors, because there are no Spikes in Brawl. So everywhere I say "Spike" or "Spiked" etc, just think of it as Meteor. (Will change it later).

A Spike is an attack that mostly hits your opponent from above, and makes them fly straight down so it will be hard for them to recover. Most characters only have one or two spikes, but Ike actually has four of them, which can be used in different situations (except Eruption Spike).

Aether Spike

This one is very useful, and can even kill that best opponent. You do this trick by using Aether close to the edge (on your enemy), at the right distance so both you and your opponent goes over the edge and start to fall down. But if you stood at the right place while using Aether, you will grab the ledge on the way down. And if it works you will still be in your invincible frames when your enemy tries to use his Up B. You can also use this while the other player tries to recover.

Down A (air) Spike

This one isn’t as useful as Aether spike, due to the fact that the enemy can easily air dodge from it, which will leave you in a bad situation do to the long lag. To use this you jump over your opponent while they try to recover, and hit them with the upper part of the sword, and preferably not only the tip (much harder for it to work then). If you do this the right way, your opponent will have a real hard time surviving even on 0% damage (except for R.O.B Snake, and the other characters that have a long flying recovery, but they will probably still die on about 30%). So if this attack works you will get an easy kill, but if you fail there is a big chance that you will die because of the lag.

Down A Spike

This one can be extremely useful or don’t work at all. You use your Down A while your opponent is trying to recover from below the platform. And if you hit them on the upper half of their body, they will probably die from this extremely fast spike (fast as in flying down really fast). I find it really useful to do a fast falling fair (forward air), because it knocks them nearly horizontally and gives you a big chance to succeed with this spike (worked a lot for me)

Eruption Spike

Not much to see here. If you hit your opponent with the tip (from above) of the Eruption it will spike. Not really useful at all (due to how hard this is to pull of in a real match, even if you can spike from the ledge Down A Spike is better for that).

Super Armor

Super armor is when you get hit but still goes through with your attack (sadly you still take damage). It’s the same thing as when you are metal and get hit by some weak attacks. Ike has two of these, but I won’t really go into this much because there aren’t really many combos or tactic you can use this for, it just basically makes the attack much better.

Aether (Super armor)

Activates from when you throw Ragnell up into the air to when you grab it again, which is really useful, and will help you to avoid some cheap deaths.

Eruption (Super armor)

Activates from when you start to stab towards the ground until the attack is done. Can be really useful if you attack with it from the air, and time it so the armor activates when you are in their range.

Techniques (will mention some that I already described above)

Lagless Nair (Neutral Air)

This one is really simple but still really good. Just use your Nair so you hit your opponent just before you touch the ground (doesn’t really need to hit him for this to work), and then you can use your Triple A Combo without lag (or another attack), simple as that.

Fbair

This one can be tricky to pull of at first, but when you learn how to do it you will improve you overall attack speed. Fbair is simple a bair (back air) that you do forward, confusing? Well let me explain. When you run against the opposing player, you must quickly tilt the control stick back and then jump, and finish it of with tilting the control stick in the direction your opponent are positioned and press A. Sounds hard? Well I probably didn’t explain that well. The thing that happens is that while you running you press back which will make you character to turn around, and if you jump directly after you do that, you will fly in you opponents direction with the momentum of the run, and when you tilt the control stick against them and press A you will just use you normal bair. So the technique will make it so you can use your bair like you use you fair.

Diving Slash

Mentioned this before, so will copy paste (with minor changes) : You do a short jump (or long in some cases) then use A Forward (just before you are at the max height of the jump) and then press down at the exact time you start falling. This will result in you racketing towards your enemy with the attack so it finishes about 2/3 of its animation (the sword will be horizontal with the ground when you land) and this will surely surprise the enemy when you hit them so fast.
Because they were probably preparing to use their Up A Tilt, or Up Smash.

Unlimited A

Also mentioned before, so copy paste: You can actually get more then two hits, if you duck after the kick, and start from the beginning with the punch (the duck with interrupt the use of the slash attack in the combo, but don’t overuse this). And you will probably only get 4-5 hits with this one before your opponent DI out of it. And to be honest, this isn't really that useful to begin with, rarely get more then 4 hits with this.

Quick Draw Glide

As I mentioned before with Quick Draw, is that you should try to use this to start a combo and stop in front of them. Another technique that you can do is to use your Quick Draw while airborne, and release the button just before you hit the ground (before you get the falling animation). This will result in you gliding a short distance after landing, were you can start any attack you like (due to Quick Draws having such a short lag time).

Edge Techniques

I love these two techniques, they makes it nearly impossible for your opponent to do anything while you are trying to get up from holding the ledge.

Aether Save

When you are holding the edge, just tap down and then use your Aether. This will make you throw your sword over the edge and hit everybody standing there, after this you have two alternatives to choose from. Either go straight up and go down to grab the ledge again, or just push forward while up with the sword, which will make it so you land on the platform. But don’t push forward to early and don’t let yourself fall to far, or you will die.

Quick Save

This is a perfect example at using your defense for your offence. It’s a little bit harder then Aether Save but it’s worth it. To pull this of you must press back on the control stick and jump at the same time, then use Quick Draw. If you succeed you will glide up on the platform and hit your opponent with Quick Draw, or having no lag (due to the nature of Quick Draw) so you can pull of any of your attacks (preferable Triple A Combo, to get the enemy away from you).

Because of these two techniques you should use Quick Draw to fly so you grab the edge (most of the time).

Midori · **Re: Ike Guide -** 07-20-08

Strength/weaknesses against different characters
This part is far from done, because I will mostly only write about the characters I've faced enough times, and know how to beat. And I'm playing online very often (against many different characters) , and will thusly update this list often.

(Only written very little on this part)

Mario

Donkey Kong

Link Samus

Zero Suit Samus

Kirby

Fox

Pikachu

Marth

Mr. Game & Watch

Luigi

Diddy Kong

Zelda

Sheik

Pit

Meta Knight

Falco

Pokémon Trainer

Ike

Snake

Peach

Yoshi

Ganondorf

Ice Climbers

King Dedede

Wolf

Lucario

Ness

Sonic

Bowser

Wario

Toon Link

R.O.B

Olimar

Captain Falcon

Jigglypuff

Lucas